2021 Neil Duncan Invitational
Posted on: 8 May
The 76th playing of the Neil Duncan Invitational was held on a pleasant Friday afternoon on Friday 7 May with representatives of 13 clubs enjoying some wonderful camaraderie and golf at Yarra Yarra.
As Yarra Yarra has always been referred to as the ‘friendly club’, an important aspect of the invitation to participate in this Invitation Cup was to create a friendly interchange between the ordinary playing members, rather than elite playing members of the various clubs, with the view to maintaining old ties and further developing goodwill.
The reason behind the 13 clubs invited were those competing in VGA Pennant in 1924 when Yarra Yarra was first accepted into the ranks of senior Pennant in the Victorian Golf Association, the first new club admitted in more than 20 years!
Yarra Yarra had initially been refused because of a perceived lack of quality in its Pennant team. Apart from Yarra Yarra, other clubs such as Kingston Heath, Woodlands, and Commonwealth had been agitating for full representation for some time.
Once Yarra Yarra achieved this breakthrough, other clubs were also elevated over the next few years and in a wider sense, their acceptance reflected the growth in golf and the fact that the game was no longer the exclusive preserve of the upper middle class.
Neil Duncan was a member of the Yarra Yarra Committee from 1950 to 1952 and then Captain in 1953 and 1954.
He was a tireless worker for his Club and was a strong advocate of the Invitation Cup, so after his death in 1963, the Committee changed the name of the Yarra Yarra Invitation Cup to the Neil Duncan Yarra Yarra Invitation Cup, in recognition of his valued contribution.
Northern Golf Club were the winners with a wonderful score of + 8 in 4BBB Par, represented by Matthew Hill and Matthew Clements, and this was the 4th win for Northern since 2010.
Runners Up were Patterson River Golf Club with +7 while the best Yarra Yarra pair were Rob Hindle and Brendan Schroeder with a wonderful score of +9.
For many it was the first opportunity to see the “new” Yarra Yarra and all were extremely impressed by the course as well as the hospitality of the club and Members.
A perpetual trophy, with the winning clubs name engraved on the Invitational Cup, is always kept at Yarra Yarra.
